Food and drink · County · Arizona
Bakeries and dessert shops in Santa Cruz County, AZ
The bakeries and dessert shops in Santa Cruz County, AZ, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #900 of 1,889 scored counties
#10 of 13 scored counties in Arizona
- Listings
- 13
- 3 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Household spending a year
- $54M
- On food away from home · $3,182 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.7
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 50,020
- +4.8% since 2020
See the bakeries and dessert shops around any address in Santa Cruz County
The site report maps the bakeries and dessert shops on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Santa Cruz County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
At $3,182 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in Santa Cruz County spend about $54M a year on food away from home. Spread across 13 bakeries and dessert shops, that is $4.2M per shop, in line with the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
Santa Cruz County has 13 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 23%, against 35% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.7, 21% below the U.S. rate of 9.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in Santa Cruz County classed as snack bars and retail bakeries. That is one for every 2,424 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S. That count covers all snack bars and retail bakeries (coffee shops and cafes included), not only bakeries and dessert shops. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Santa Cruz County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For bakeries and dessert shops, Santa Cruz County has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #900 of 1,889 scored counties and #10 of 13 scored counties in Arizona.
How Santa Cruz County compares
The same measures for Arizona and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the bakeries and dessert shops counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Santa Cruz County | Arizona | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.7 | 7.9 | 9.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.2M | $5.1M | $4.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack bars and retail bakeries) | 2,424 | 1,555 | 1,369 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +35.7% | +24.6% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +6.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,182 | $3,982 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $55,217 | $79,964 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 69 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 7All snack bars and retail bakeries
- Employees, 2023
- 27
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $925K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All snack bars and retail bakeries with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 133 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in Santa Cruz County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3. These official figures cover all snack bars and retail bakeries, not only bakeries and dessert shops.
Population and households in Santa Cruz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 50,020+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 16,966
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,236 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 40
- Median household income
- $55,217+33.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,913
- Median home value
- $233,000
- Jobs located here
- 12,313
- Daytime population
- 42,829Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Cruz County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the bakeries and dessert shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Santa Cruz County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardBakeries and dessert shops across Arizona
Every Arizona market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Arizona for bakeries and dessert shops, numbered among those based in Arizona, with Santa Cruz County marked.
Top counties in Arizona
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pinal County, AZ | 89 | 72 | 4.4 | $8.7M | +25.4% | #19 of 1,889 |
| 2Mohave County, AZ | 69 | 50 | 4.9 | $6.7M | +6.5% | #283 of 1,889 |
| 3Pima County, AZ | 65 | 266 | 6.1 | $6.1M | +2.8% | #384 of 1,889 |
| 4Yavapai County, AZ | 65 | 76 | 6.8 | $5.3M | +6.5% | #389 of 1,889 |
| 5Navajo County, AZ | 63 | 20 | 5.0 | $6.3M | +3.0% | #442 of 1,889 |
| 6Yuma County, AZ | 61 | 60 | 7.6 | $4.4M | +9.2% | #519 of 1,889 |
| 7Maricopa County, AZ | 60 | 1,571 | 9.1 | $4.7M | +5.5% | #545 of 1,889 |
| 8Gila County, AZ | 59 | 13 | 5.5 | $6.1M | +0.9% | #567 of 1,889 |
| 9Graham County, AZ | 52 | 11 | 8.6 | $4M | +4.0% | #860 of 1,889 |
| 10Santa Cruz County, AZ | 51 | 13 | 7.7 | $4.2M | +4.8% | #900 of 1,889 |
Other business types in Santa Cruz County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes33
- Sit-down restaurants30
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops51
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many bakeries and dessert shops are in Santa Cruz County, AZ?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 13 bakeries and dessert shops in Santa Cruz County. 3 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count bakeries, ice cream, donut and dessert shops, candy stores. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as snack bars and retail bakeries in 2023. The official count takes in all snack bars and retail bakeries, not only bakeries and dessert shops: coffee shops and cafes are counted too. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Santa Cruz County, AZ spend on food away from home?
About $54M a year, or $3,182 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 bakeries and dessert shops on map listings, it comes to $4.2M per shop. That spending covers all food away from home, which bakeries and dessert shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,966 households in Santa Cruz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Cruz County, AZ compare with the U.S. for bakeries and dessert shops?
Santa Cruz County has 7.7 bakeries and dessert shops per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 9.8. Spending per shop is $4.2M, in line with the U.S. figure of $4.1M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of bakeries and dessert shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,424 households, against one for every 1,369 across the U.S.
How fast is Santa Cruz County, AZ growing?
Population estimates put Santa Cruz County at 50,020 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,966 households. The median household income in Santa Cruz County is $55,217 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.8% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Santa Cruz County scores 51 for bakeries and dessert shops (upper middle), #900 of 1,889 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Cruz County. It maps the bakeries and dessert shops on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for bakeries and dessert shops · All 56 business types in Santa Cruz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Cruz County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Santa Cruz County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.